Sri Lanka Thawheed Jamaath files FR | Page 3 | Daily News

Sri Lanka Thawheed Jamaath files FR

 

Sri Lanka Thawheed Jamaath, a Muslim Welfare Association has filed a fundamental rights petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Defence Secretary’s decision to prevent the entry of Tamil Nadu Islamic scholar Jainul Abideen and two other priests for a function scheduled to be held last year.

The petitioners had cited Immigration and Emigration Controller General, Defence Ministry Secretary, Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs Department Director, Azath Salley of the National Unity Alliance and several others as respondents.

The petitioners Rahamathulla Mohamed Riyas and Razik Rafeekdeen, the President and General Secretary of Sri Lanka Thawheed Jamaath stated that their organisation was involved in preaching Islam islandwide and has conducted social service activities to uplift Muslim as well as non-Muslim communities of Sri Lanka for the last few years.

They stated that the release of the Sinhala translation and transliteration of the Quran is the one of the many Islamic programmes organised by the Jamaath for last year.

For the said programme the Jamaath invited special scholar Jainul Abideen and two priests Hanifa Mohammed Yusuf and Mohamed Hussain Thoufeek from Tamil Nadu, India. They stated the programme was scheduled to be held at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium on November 8, 2015 followed by special religious sermons with the participation of the scholar and the priests.

They said the Assistant Director of the Department of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs by his letter dated October 21, 2015 requested from Posts, Postal Services and Muslim Religious Affairs Ministry Secretary to issue a recommendation letter to the Immigration and Emigration Department for landing visas for the scholar and the priests.

The petitioner said they paid the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) processing fee and submitted ETA applications of the priests to the Immigration and Emigration Department.

They said on November 5, 2015 they became aware that the fifth respondent Azath Salley during a press conference had stated that he will take steps to stop the arrival of Jainul Abideen and thereby he had sent a letter to the Defence Secretary requesting the immediate cancellation of the visa for him.

They sated that on November 6, 2015, the Immigration and Emigration Controller General sent an email to the Jamaath informing the ETA approvals of the scholar and priests had been cancelled.

They said due to the unreasonable and arbitrary cancellation of the ETA approvals of them, the members of Jamaath were denied from fully engaging in their religious activities and have resulted in their right to engage in their religion by worshipping, observing, practicing and teaching their religion being denied to them.

They sought an order to declare the order by the Defence Secretary to stop the entry of Jainul Abideen to Sri Lanka is illegal and no force in law.

This petition will be taken up for support on February 15. 


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